


Shores that Cure

by forlornmelodies



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forlornmelodies/pseuds/forlornmelodies
Summary: You're overworked, burnt-out, and all but drowning in your anxieties. Luckily, however, Ignis is there to make things better.
Relationships: Ignis Scientia & Reader, Ignis Scientia/Reader
Kudos: 19





	Shores that Cure

I lay curled up in bed, with covers enveloping me snugly and concealing all but a mess of disheveled hair and pillow-buried eyes. My inhibitions prevented me from breaking down in embarrassing tears and stifled them all in a painful lump in my throat. _Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to accept Ignis' offer to stay over for the night…_ It was a lazy thought that bore superficial resonance. Despite all, there was decided safety in being in the warm abode of my friend’s. He wouldn’t mind should I be a crying mess; we were well past such dreads, but habits were difficult to overcome.

It was best to distract myself. I still had a lot of work to do, made even more by the virtue of taking on the part that was supposed to be done by one of my colleagues. Was it in the spirit of charity or the desire to accomplish that part in accordance to my standards that compelled me to accept the added burden? Most likely it was my unwillingness to face the slightest bit of confrontation. I sighed tiredly and reached down to retrieve the tablet and opened the specified document. Hardly anything was written, aside from side notations and nonscientific observations. Perhaps it was a good thing I did take it after all. A silent tear escaped my eye. I brushed it impassively and furrowed my eyebrows, concentrating on not letting any others fall.

The sounds of footsteps were quiet on the floorboard. I made no effort to change my position on the mattress, even when it inclined downwards with my friend’s weight as he sat beside me. His presence was silent and non-judging. It was this lack of compulsion that seemed to break me down all the more. My lips trembled, unheeding of my effort as I bit them, and my eyes were weighed down by the tears. A warm hand contrasted the coldness of my cheek, wiping away the wet trails gently.

“What’s the matter, my dear?” he said, so quietly it could hardly disturb the looming silence.

I gave a weak shrug, and that weakness was enunciated with my words. “I’m tired… I’m just really tired.” The tablet fell on its back beside me. My arm retreated into the shelter, holding my other with subduing intensity.

His upper torso surrounded me in a protective embrace, his left hand enveloping my face and bringing it closer, where he could place comforting kisses on my cheek. His head rested near my own, and his hand kept its securing place in order to maintain contact between our eyes.

“That would be the prevailing symptom.” A small smile touched upon the sadness in his expression. “But I believe there are ones that are more deeply rooted.”

A laugh rose in my chest, but only managed to make my countenance bitterly amused. I swallowed it down, my voice intermediating dread and hope simultaneously in a whisper. “Are we gonna have a therapy session now, Ignis?”

His silent appraisal continued, and there shone the intensity of penetrating scrutiny in his eyes that made me look down. There was no harshness in his gaze. In fact, it was like a balm in its gentleness. Perhaps it was that that made me shy away. His hand now directed my face upwards where his lips laid a lingering kiss on my forehead.

“No,” he whispered, hand cording through my hair. “Not now. But we will have to talk about it some time. How one sees oneself dictates one’s behavior and the succeeding achievements. It won’t do, seeing yourself in such a negative light.” I should be accustomed to his accurate analyses by now, but I still stared at him with tired bewilderment. “It’s a downright shame, at that… but I fear that my words will echo into the void, should I tell you how much you are really worth.” And as though to affirm his words, I shifted away in discomfiture, eyes settling sideways. He gave a knowing smile that carried the traces of a sigh. With one last kiss on the cheek, he rose to a sitting position.

I reopened the tablet as a cue that I wished to be left to my work now, but he grabbed it from my hands and left me frowning.

“You should rest now, love.”

I shook my head, reaching towards it. “I really should finish it now. It will just weigh on me otherwise.”

“The project statistics are all in your bag, correct? I will go over them for reference. And it is lucky that I happen to be very knowledgable in your field of work.” His eyes glistened pleasantly.

I was in no mood for arguing, and it showed in my idly reaching arm and frustratedly tired expression. “I can’t possibly let you write the paper, Ignis, please give it to me.”

“Have you no faith in my intelligence?” he teased, returning my arm to rest on the mattress. Upon considering my disposition, he added softly, “you know what fatigue does to a brain’s functioning. And you know what worry does to my own. This is beneficial for the two of us.”

He always won. My visage was marred by defeat that he worked on easing with a soothing caress. Eventually, he won over my overthinking mind as well. Defeat gave way to gratitude, and the rigidity in my frame began to dissolve as sleep sought to take me.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Always.”

He lifted the covers to cover my shoulders more securely. Before he could stand, I said very quietly, “could you stay for a bit?”

Surprise flashed in his eyes before being replaced by warmth. “Of course.” The feeling of fingers brushing through stands of hair faded gradually alongside my consciousness. Before long, I was deep asleep.

I woke the next day at half seven to the smell of cooking. It took me a while to comprehend the peculiar detail before I remembered where I was. I sat up, my body yearning for longer hours of sleep. Luckily, I had two days of vacation ahead. Today would be braved through. Remembering my day’s responsibilities, my heart skipped a beat at the paper I had to write. The tablet lay on the bedside table. Worriedly, I reached for it, and the rush of relief I felt at seeing a neatly written document upon opening the device made me fall backwards onto the mattress. I caught the flash of familiar clothing out of the corner of my eyes. Straightening up and heading towards where they lay, folded neatly on a nearby chair, I realized that they were mine. Ignis must have gone to my apartment to retrieve them. My heart felt heavy with how much I loved him at that moment. After I was done with my morning ritual, I headed to the kitchen whence the smell was coming. Ignis stood before the stove, a spatula in his left hand.

He looked up to greet me with his customary smile. “Good morning, (Y/N).”

“Good morning,” I said quietly. A meow garnered my attention, and I was very pleased to see my cat sitting comfortably on the windowsill, looking fed and satisfied. She jumped and hurried in my direction, while I crouched on the ground to hug her close.

“She seemed quite anxious, I figured she was missing you,” explained Ignis.

“Poor one must have been starving…” I stroked her small head. She purred all the while.

“Yes, she ate plentifully indeed.” His voice carried the traces of amusement.

I stood again, directing my gaze to my friend. “Do you need any help, Ignis?”

He shook his head. “I’m just about done.” He placed the omelets and fruit wraps tastefully on two plates before bringing them to the table. There lay a steaming pot of tea whose contents were emptied in two mugs. He turned to me curiously. “Aren’t you going to sit?”

There were a few moments of contemplative silence that ended with my rushing toward him for a hug. His face broke in a grin and he returned it warmly before drawing back slightly to look at my face. “Do you feel better today?”

I nodded, holding onto him for just a moment longer. “Thank you.” As a response, I received a kiss on the forehead.

We ate leisurely. My work wouldn’t start until half nine, and he had the day off. And as was usual, our conversations whiled away the hours with peculiar ease.


End file.
